The sound of the slap was as jarring as the breaking teacup.

Qing Hang’s face turned to the left, and even his breathing became rigid.

Their shadows overlapped on the ground, yet they seemed separated by a thousand mountains and rivers.

When Cheng Wanyue stood up, she knocked over the unfinished bowl of noodles. She ran back to the bedroom in a few steps, locked the door, and didn’t answer her phone despite it ringing several times.

Qing Hang knocked three times at the door, but before she could open it, he was called back to the hospital.

He closed the door very quietly, probably not wanting Cheng Wanyue to know he was leaving, or perhaps thinking he would return soon.

Cheng Wanyue’s suitcase was in the other bedroom. The living room was empty, and she didn’t care where he had gone. She brought the suitcase into the room and began packing.

Her phone kept ringing without her answering. Yang Huimin was very worried and called again after a few minutes.

Crouching on the floor, Cheng Wanyue listened to Yang Huimin asking about this and that, brushing her off with vague answers. “Mom, where’s my brother?”

“He’s downstairs. Yuzhou came on a business trip yesterday and is staying with us too,” Yang Huimin looked down the stairs. “Cheng Yanqing, Wanyue is looking for you.”

Cheng Yanqing pretended to be annoyed, but he ran upstairs. He took Yang Huimin’s phone while Cheng Yuzhou followed him into the room.

He started by teasing her about only now remembering her brother, but she remained silent.

Cheng Yanqing sensed something was wrong before his second sentence. “Wanyue, why are you crying?”

“…I want to come home.”

Hearing her choked sobs made Cheng Yanqing feel she was wronged. He immediately opened his computer to buy airline tickets. “It’s so late now, go to sleep first.”

“I want to come home now.”

“I’ll come get you tomorrow morning. Don’t worry about your things. We’ll talk to the landlord about terminating the lease on your previous apartment and then head home.”

Cheng Wanyue couldn’t bear to leave her things behind. “No, these are all my treasures. I can’t abandon them. And there’s Meiqiu too.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll pack everything for you. We’ll ship it all back, not leaving a single item behind,” Cheng Yanqing worried about her being alone. The last time she argued with Qing Hang, she never mentioned wanting to return home. “Where are you now? Have you eaten? Are you hungry?”

She answered with a muffled voice, “…At Qing Hang’s place. We ate before arguing.”

“That’s not so bad. At least he made sure you were fed before fighting.”

“Don’t say anything nice about him. I know I’m partly wrong too, but I’m very angry right now.”

She wasn’t just angry—she was heartbroken.

Cheng Yuzhou canceled his ticket back to Nanjing and bought one to Beijing. When Cheng Wanyue was talking to Yang Huimin, she held back her tears, which meant she didn’t want her parents to know. Huo Zhi’s father had been hospitalized, and Cheng Yanqing had been overwhelmed these past few days. The hospital scheduled surgery for tomorrow morning, so he needed to stay at the hospital for Huo Zhi.

“You can’t get away. I’ll go,” Cheng Yuzhou told him to cancel the ticket he had just purchased, then picked up his phone. “Wanyue, rest easy and sleep. I’ll call you when I arrive.”

Cheng Wanyue agreed verbally, but couldn’t sleep at all.

At three in the morning, light snow began to fall outside—the first snow of winter in Beijing this year.

The first snow came early. The heating in this residential complex hadn’t started yet. She curled up in bed, her hands and feet ice-cold. When she finally made it to daybreak, she got up to pack her luggage without even waiting to hear if Cheng Yuzhou had arrived.

The sound of the door opening was as quiet as when it had closed last night.

Cheng Yuzhou didn’t have a key, so without turning around, she knew it was Qing Hang returning.

The bedroom door was open and the light was on. When Qing Hang entered, he saw Cheng Wanyue wiping away tears while taking clothes from the wardrobe and throwing them into the suitcase. His tired eyes immediately tensed up.

“Wanyue, where are you going?”

She ignored him, pretending he didn’t exist.

Qing Hang reached out to close the wardrobe door and moved the suitcase aside.

She started throwing clothes onto the bed instead. For every piece she threw, he picked up, and after two or three rounds, she became annoyed. She decided to abandon everything, picking up Meiqiu and heading out without even changing her slippers.

Qing Hang blocked the doorway. She couldn’t push him away or get out.

“Get out of my way,” Cheng Wanyue wouldn’t even look at him.

Qing Hang couldn’t possibly just let her leave. “It’s snowing. It’s very cold outside.”

“Qing Hang, when I try to talk to you nicely, you pretend not to understand. I want to go home. Just try to stop me again.”

“Which home?”

“None of your business. I just won’t stay here anymore…”

Before Cheng Wanyue could finish, Cheng Yuzhou called. Qing Hang heard her telling Cheng Yuzhou the floor number and realized she was planning to leave Beijing.

In the few seconds he was distracted, Cheng Wanyue unlocked the door and tried to squeeze past him. Just as she took a step, he tightly embraced her.

“Wanyue, don’t go.”

“If I stay, I’ll not only have to watch your moods but also be lectured by you. You love bringing up the past, so keep doing it by yourself. I’m no longer interested in listening.”

Meiqiu struggled free and jumped nimbly to the floor.

Cheng Wanyue was determined to go home, and she was going to leave. “Qing Hang, if Meiqiu gets lost, this isn’t over between us.”

When Cheng Yuzhou came out of the elevator, the two were still struggling by the door.

Meiqiu was startled by the sound of the door closing downstairs and scurried into the apartment along the wall.

“Qing Hang, let go first,” Cheng Yuzhou positioned himself between them. “Wanyue, go change into something thicker and put on some warm, comfortable shoes. Get your ID ready. You can’t just go to the airport holding a cat like this.”

Cheng Wanyue was so angry that she hadn’t even brought her identification.

After she closed the bedroom door, Cheng Yuzhou finally spoke to Qing Hang. “Qing Hang, I won’t judge who’s right or wrong between you two. But with her alone in Beijing, we can’t be at ease. Sooner or later, we would have brought her back home.”

Qing Hang said softly, “It’s my fault.”

Cheng Yuzhou: “If you can’t resolve it now, even if you make up this time, you’ll fight again next time. We don’t have any expectations of her, but you’re different. You want something from her, so you’re more demanding. She hasn’t told our parents, which means she’s left room for reconciliation. I’ll take her back first. You should calm down and think things through, too.”

Cheng Wanyue changed into a down jacket. Cheng Yuzhou took the suitcase, and they walked out the door one after another.

Qing Hang didn’t watch them leave. It was only ten minutes later that he suddenly came to his senses. By the time he rushed downstairs, it was too late. He hailed a taxi to the airport.

The road conditions were poor, but he arrived at the airport before Cheng Wanyue.

Most taxis stopped here. The snow on the ground had been cleared away, but snow covered his body and hair.

He waited and waited, then realized Cheng Wanyue might have already gone inside. The weather hadn’t affected many flights. As people came and went through the hall, her phone was turned off, and Cheng Yuzhou wasn’t answering either.

Finally, Qing Hang found the broadcasting hall.

After arranging for Meiqiu’s pet shipping, Cheng Wanyue waited in the departure lounge for her flight. She wasn’t going straight home, but to Nanjing with Cheng Yuzhou.

When the announcer first called her name, she thought she’d missed her flight after a trip to the bathroom.

“Passenger Cheng Wanyue, your valuable lost item is at the broadcasting hall. Please come to claim it after hearing this announcement.”